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| Mike squinting in the heat |
Our first day of safari we travel from Moshi to Arusha and west to the national parks. The lush green gardens around Arusha soon give way to dry desert like conditions into the north western regions that lead to the Serengeti. We pass through a number of small Maasai villages leading to the northern safari circuit. Our destination is Tarangire National Park. At this time of year the short rain has ended and the waterways are getting close to dry. We see large herds of elephants everywhere. We also see ostrich and zebras and few giraffe. The elephants are in groups and they are not afraid of the safari vehicles but we are well aware of their size and power. The elephants topple trees to consume their daily intake. These animals are eating machines. There are a number of young babies in the groups who stick very close to their mother and are well protected by the herd.
The animals roam freely around the park. There do not appear to be many predators evident. The wildebeest have moved on and elephants are everywhere.
This park has a large number of ancient Baobab trees. These trees are hundreds of years old. The diameter indicates the age of the tree. Although Christianity and Islam are the declared practice, a number of Tanzanians have told us that people still consider this tree as sacred and may pray or seek advice from the Baobab. This tree also has a number of medicinal purposes in traditional medicines practised by the Maasai and witch doctors.
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An older elephant
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| Baobab Tree |
Our first day of safari we travel from Moshi to Arusha and west to the national parks. The lush green gardens around Arusha soon give way to dry desert like conditions into the north western regions that lead to the Serengeti. We pass through a number of small Maasai villages leading to the northern safari circuit. Our destination is Tarangire National Park. At this time of year the short rain has ended and the waterways are getting close to dry. We see large herds of elephants everywhere. We also see ostrich and zebras and few giraffe. The elephants are in groups and they are not afraid of the safari vehicles but we are well aware of their size and power. The elephants topple trees to consume their daily intake. These animals are eating machines. There are a number of young babies in the groups who stick very close to their mother and are well protected by the herd. 
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